About ONE

ONE is an international campaigning and advocacy organization of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa… because the facts show extreme poverty has already been cut by 60% and can be virtually eliminated by 2030, but only if we act with urgency now.

Cofounded by Bono, we raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency so governments are accountable to their citizens. ONE does not raise money itself to build schools, hospitals and the like, but does its work by advocacy and campaigning so that government funds continue to flow to programs that make a difference in people’s lives. ONE works closely with African activists and policymakers as they fight corruption, promote poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, and help build civil society and economic development. ONE’s work is strictly politically non-partisan.

In recent years, ONE’s members, together with other campaigners, have played an important role in persuading governments to support effective programs and policies that are making a measurable difference in fighting extreme poverty and disease. Partly as a result of these advocacy efforts, more than 9 million people living in Africa today have access to lifesaving AIDS medication, up from only 50,000 in 2002. Malaria has been cut by 75% in eight African countries since 2000, and 54 million more children across sub-Saharan Africa are now going to primary school compared to 1999.

ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funding. ONE is funded almost entirely by foundations, individual philanthropists and corporations. We achieve change through advocacy – our teams in Washington, D.C., New York, London, Johannesburg, Brussels, Berlin and Paris educate and lobby governments to shape policy solutions that save and improve millions of lives.

Some of our proudest accomplishments include:

Playing a crucial role in the G8’s historic commitment in 2005 to double funding to fight poverty and disease in Africa – and holding their feet to the fire ever since.

Helping develop, pass and secure funding for historic AIDS initiatives, such as the US’s PEPFAR and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria

Helping pass legislation in the US and EU to require better transparency in the oil, gas and mining industries to fight corruption and ensure resources benefit the poorest.

(RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign, and partners with some of the world’s most iconic brands, such as Apple, HEAD, Coca-Cola and Starbucks, who contribute up to 50% of profits from (RED)-branded goods and services to The Global Fund.

To date, (RED) has generated more than $300 million for The Global Fund to support HIV/AIDS grants in Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania and Zambia. All of that money goes to work on the ground – no overhead is taken. The Global Fund grants that (RED) supports have impacted more than 55 million people with prevention, treatment, counseling, HIV testing and care services.

As a legal matter, ONE is a combined effort of two related non-profit, non-partisan organizations, The ONE Campaign and ONE Action. The ONE Campaign is organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Unites States Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The ONE Campaign raises public awareness and educates policy makers about the importance of smart and effective policies and programs, which are saving the lives of millions of people living in the world’s poorest countries. ONE Action is organized under IRC section 501(c)(4), and engages in grassroots and direct advocacy with policymakers and key influencers around the world in support of such policies and programs.

Annual Report

Financials

ONE consists of two separate non-profit organizations, working together in pursuit of one single mission: fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease.

The ONE Campaign is a nonpartisan 501 (c)(3) organization, which educates the public and raises awareness of the crisis of extreme poverty around the globe and the progress being made against it through life-saving programs. (RED), a division of The ONE Campaign, partners with the world’s most iconic brands, such as Apple, HEAD, Coca-Cola and Starbucks, to drive corporate dollars to the fight against AIDS through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria.

ONE Action is a nonpartisan 501 (c)(4) organization which presses lawmakers to support smart, effective policies and programs which are saving lives, educating children and helping those living in the world’s poorest countries lift themselves out of poverty.

Form 990

Each year, ONE completes a Form 990 for both The ONE Campaign and ONE Action. This is an annual reporting return that federally tax-exempt organizations must file with the U.S. Internal Revenue Service. It provides information on the filing organization’s mission, programs, and finances. The latest form is for 2013.

2013 Financial Summary: The ONE Campaign

The ONE Campaign spent $31.4 million in 2013. The ONE Campaign financials are audited each year. The chart below shows how these expenses supported our work:

81.8% Allocated to The ONE Campaign’s Programs

The ONE Campaign spent 81.8% of its budget on raising public awareness and educating policy makers in support of smart and effective policies and programs that are saving the lives of millions of people living in the world’s poorest countries. We strive to spend as much of our budget as possible on this work that has direct impact. The percentage of funds committed to these programs is above the international best practice of 80%.

15.8% Management and Administration Costs

A number of management and administrative tasks are necessary to run a global organisation that has seven offices in six countries across the world. ONE keeps management and administrative costs to a minimum. These costs include salaries for staff globally; legal, accounting and banking fees; and an allocation of indirect costs such as office rent, IT and cellular costs, and website costs.

2.4% Fundraising Costs

The ONE Campaign is funded by a combination of foundations, individual philanthropists and corporations. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, ONE does not solicit funding from the general public and as such, is able to keep its fundraising costs low. The costs represented here include costs related to managing grant proposals, and developing and maintaining donor relationships.

Program Investment: The ONE Campaign

The chart below shows the breakdown of The ONE Campaign’s 2013 program expenses:

US Public Education and Awareness Raising: $6,767,062 (26.4%)

The ONE Campaign continued its work to educate and raise awareness among the U.S. public, media, and policy makers about the importance of official development assistance and international programs that combat HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria and fight hunger and famine in the developing world. ONE continued to highlight how U.S. investments in these programs have helped to leverage additional contributions from other governments around the world. In 2013, top donor countries pledged more than $12 billion to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria—a 31% increase over the previous cycle. ONE and its partners worked to ensure the public understood the impact and real, measurable results that programs like the Global Fund have had, helping to provide millions of African citizens with life-saving AIDS medication, cutting malaria deaths in half in countries across Africa and putting tens of millions of children in school in developing countries.

ONE launched broad new campaigns about the need for energy access in sub-Saharan Africa and the need for transparency and accountability in business deals between foreign governments and phantom firms. ONE also launched agit8 ahead of the 2013 G8 Summit, a public awareness campaign that used protest songs to engage a new generation of activists in the fight against extreme poverty. Prominent musicians and hundred of thousands ONE members urged world leaders to take action in the fight against poverty at the summit in Lough Erne.

European Public Education and Awareness Raising: $8,669,966 (33.8%)

The ONE Campaign continued to raise public awareness of and engagement in the fight against extreme poverty and disease across all of our core European markets, and began scaling up work in the Netherlands for the first time. In this new market we engaged with multiple stakeholders to campaign to halt further cuts to development funding. In the UK, after years of campaigning by ONE and partners, the government announced that it would meet the long-established target of spending 0.7% on GNI on ODA in 2013. In Germany we helped avert development budget cuts of almost €400 million. ONE members campaigned for President Hollande to make an early announcement of France’s first ever ‘program law’ for development and for the French government to commit to maintaining aid at 2012 levels despite an austerity budget. Our long battle for securing increases in development assistance in the EU 2014-20 budget cumulated with us ensuring that in the last weeks, none of the €30 billion budget cuts to the overall EU budget came from development aid. Our work justifying any aid targets was bolstered by ONE’s flagship DATA Report analysis, including a special report supplement exploring overall trends in official development assistance.

ONE executed a partnership with YouTube, Spotify, Facebook, Nokia and others for ONE’s global agit8 campaign ahead of the UK hosted G8. More than 350,000 ONE members signed a petition calling on the G8 to fight malnutrition and unleash a transparency revolution. Membership in ONE’s core European markets reached 810,000 in 2013; a fifty-two percent increase in one year.

(RED): $5,524,134 (21.5%)

(RED) was founded to deliver money from the private sector to The Global Fund while generating heat and awareness to keep AIDS on the global agenda. In 2013, the (RED) program continued to engage the private sector to join the fight to end AIDS. Through invaluable partnerships with Apple, Starbucks, Coca-Cola, Beats by Dr. Dre and Belvedere, among many others, (RED) activations and partners raised approximately $20 million for the Global Fund. (RED) also added several new partners to its roster. Theory/Theyskens’ Theory, Jonathan Adler, Sir Richard’s Condom Company and Kidrobot launched in November 2013 with an assortment of new (RED) products while other partners created unique campaign activations. Through the month of November, Live Nation and Ticketmaster prompted customers to add a $5 donation to (RED) through their ticket check-out process, generating over $83,000 in consumer contributions with a corporate donation from Live Nation of $60,000. Through these new and existing partnerships, (RED) successfully raised additional funds and awareness through a full program of activity.

(RED) RUSH marked the anniversary of the discovery of HIV, allowing consumers to experience (RED) via major digital and physical platforms. (RED) launched new partnerships with HEAD Tennis, Bed, Bath & Beyond and Johnson & Johnson while existing partners participated in Fab.com’s inaugural online pop up shop. As part of the launch of WATCH (RED) SAVE LIVES, AMC donated 40 cents for every movie ticket sold in one of their U.S. theaters, committing $100,000 to the Global Fund, as well as over $150K in pre-roll media spreading awareness with (RED)’s “40 Cents” PSA. New event partners like The Moth and Warped Tour also generated awareness, aiding in the overall 188 million media impressions and over $200,000 raised in June.

On November 23, 2013, (RED) hosted a design auction at Sotheby’s, curated by Marc Newson and Sir Jonathan Ive in collaboration with Bono. Jony and Marc curated a collection that comprised objects from disciplines as diverse as space travel to lighting design. The auction raised $13.1 million—which was generously matched with a donation from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for a total of $26.2 million. This further unlocked US and UK government matches, bringing the total generated for the Global Fund to $44M.

(RED) marked World AIDS Day 2013 with the launch of DANCE (RED) SAVE LIVES2, the sequel to the 2012 DANCE (RED) album that engaged the global dance music community in the fight against AIDS. Featuring the biggest names in the electronic dance music community, DANCE (RED)2 captured the #1 spot on the dance charts in over 40 countries. To promote the album, (RED) partnered with Stereosonic Music Festival in Sydney, Australia, livestreaming the event for two days via VICE Media’s Thump YouTube Channel. (RED) Proud Partner Belvedere Vodka promoted the event by creating a special DANCE (RED) SAVE LIVES2 campaign video while hosting DANCE (RED) parties around the world, with 50% of the profits from all sales from (BELVEDERE)RED bottles donated to the Global Fund.

Policy Research and Analysis on Aid Tracking: $2,651,562 (10.3%)

The ONE Campaign produced four major research reports in 2013: “Summit in Sight: The G8 and Africa from Gleneagles to Lough Erne” to show the progress of the G8 in meeting commitments to Africa over the last eight years; “A Growing Opportunity: Measuring Investments in African Agriculture” to track both donor and African county commitments and spending in agriculture; “The DATA Report 2013: Financing the Fight for Africa’s Transformation” ONE’s flagship policy report providing an update on country progress against the MDGs and comparing that to donor and African investments; and “The Beginning of the End: Tracking Global Commitments on AIDS, Volume 2” tracking progress on AIDS indicators and profiling African investments in the fight against AIDS. ONE also produced two policy briefs that highlighted the urgency of accelerating progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and having an open transparent process in deciding the next set of goals: “Open for Development: Achieving Greater Post-2015 Results through an Open Design Process, Monitoring System and Data Portals” and “1,000 Days to Go: Accelerating the Fight against Extreme Poverty”. ONE also produced a series of three agriculture policy briefs covering current topics: “Food Aid Reform”, “The Maputo Commitments and the 2014 African Union Year of Agriculture”, and “A ‘Brown Revolution’ for Better Soil Health in Africa”.

ONE’s health policy team expanded its analysis of domestic spending on health by African governments, work which informed not only our AIDS report, but also ongoing advocacy work on the continent and will set the baselines for potential campaigning on health in Africa in 2015. ONE also provided research and analysis on extractives transparency to support a campaign to promote natural resource transparency in the US and Canada, and provided research and analysis on beneficial ownership transparency to support ONE’s ‘phantom firms’ campaign.

African Engagement and Outreach: $1,861,178 (7.3%)

ONE maintained its Africa office in Johannesburg, South Africa from where it strengthened and expanded relationships with key policy makers and influencers on the continent engaged in the fight against extreme poverty. ONE added 190,000 active action takers to its membership base in 2013. ONE, with support from the Omidyar Network (ON), launched the ‘You Choose’ campaign in January 2013—a program seeking grassroots opinions on what the next set of MDGs should contain from citizens in Malawi, South Africa and Zambia. Over 190,000 citizens responded to the survey through a combination of SMS/ussd, Mxit, biNu, ONE.org and focus group discussions in rural areas.. In order to expand the reach, the campaign enlisted the support of some of Africa’s best-known celebrities, NGO’s and faith partners to urge people to join the fight against extreme poverty. The campaign ran in tandem with the United Nations Development Group’s ‘My World’ survey that collected views on the new MDGs from over 1 million people around the globe. ONE’s ‘You Choose’ results were integrated into the ‘My World’ results and delivered to the UN’s High Level Panel on the Post 2015 development agenda in March 2013. Unlike the 2000 MDGs, the new MDGs will have direct input from the citizens—a key outcome of the ‘You Choose’ campaign.

The 2013 ONE Africa Award: $181,812 (0.7%)

ONE awards its annual ONE Africa Award to an African-based civil society organization that employs innovative approaches to helping achieve one or more of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).In 2013, ONE awarded its annual $100,000 ONE Africa Award to Tanzania’s Agriculture Non-State Actors Forum (ANSAF). ANSAF is a member–led forum mainly involving institutions of farmers’ umbrella organizations, the commercial sector, and the non-governmental organizations (NGO) sector (both Tanzanian and international) working in Tanzania. ANSAF’s track record in influencing agriculture policy was noted by its previous work on budget analysis as focused on the Maputo Declaration by African Union (AU) member states to commit 10% of their national budgets to agriculture as one of the mechanisms to address food insecurity and poverty. ONE conducted due diligence visits with the five finalists. The ONE Africa Award winner was announced at a ceremony held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in November 2013 as part of the African Media Leaders Forum. The ceremony was attended by ONE co-founder Bono, Board Chairman Tom Freston and CEO & President Michael Elliott.With the exception of the ONE Africa Award, ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not directly fund charity projects in developing countries, work which is done well by other NGO’s.

2013 Financial Summary: ONE Action

ONE Action spent $3.09 million in 2013. ONE Action financials are audited each year. The chart below shows how these expenses supported our work:

82.4% Action Programs

ONE Action spent 82.4% of its budget on pressing policy makers to support smart and effective policies and programs that are saving the lives of millions of people living in the world’s poorest countries.

ONE’s advocacy work continues to play an important role in persuading US lawmakers to protect and, where possible, increase funding for our core priorities. ONE’s members are highly engaged advocates, sending 10,406 letters to Congress and delivering 226 petitions to in-district offices in 2013. ONE’s agit8 campaign urged viewers to join ONE and sign a petition directed at G8 leaders, ultimately resulting in 384,000 signers. The “Factivism” campaign, targeted at the United Nations General Assembly, encouraged ONE members to advocate for fact-based data to drive education efforts and reform in developing countries.

Due in part to ONE’s advocacy efforts on energy poverty, the U.S. government spearheaded efforts to deliver first-time electricity access to millions of African citizens in sub-Saharan Africa. In June 2013, President Obama launched Power Africa—a new initiative that aims to double access to power in sub-Saharan Africa. ONE also worked closely with bipartisan lawmakers in Congress to introduce the Electrify Africa Act of 2013. Throughout the year ONE members lobbied members of Congress to support and cosponsor the legislation. This legislation was introduced in the House of Representatives by Congressman Royce, a Republican from California, and Engel, a Democrat from New York.

In Germany, ONE Action launched “Ich Schaue Hin!”, a campaign that mobilized fifty young activists around the national elections in Germany. Their advocacy efforts, which included taking ONE’s message across the country, ensured that sixty percent of the incoming German MPs supported Article ONE, a declaration calling on the next government to redouble German efforts in the fight against extreme poverty. Outgoing development minister Dirk Niebel said, “ONE brings development issues into society and this is what development needs; it needs a lobby”. ONE’s strong result in Germany set the stage for the 2014 rollout of a pan-European Youth Ambassadors campaign in 2014 before the European Parliamentary elections.

16.8% Management and Administration Costs

Management and administrative costs include salaries for global operations staff, including the finance, HR and office management; legal, accounting and banking fees; and an allocation of indirect costs such as office rent, IT and cellular costs, and website costs.

0.8% Fundraising Costs

ONE Action is funded by The ONE Campaign and individual philanthropists. Thanks to the generosity of our donors, ONE Action does not solicit funding from the general public and as such, is able to keep its fundraising costs low.

Donors

ONE is funded by a combination of foundations, individual philanthropists and corporations. We do not solicit funds from the general public or receive government funding. Below is a list of our financial supporters who have generously contributed at least $25,000 to our work since January 2014. Some of our donors have asked for confidentiality and we respect this request. Funding from anonymous donors amounts to less than 5 % of our total grants and contributions.

ONE is especially grateful for the long-time partnership with and major support from our friends at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for our 501(c)3 operations.

ONE is thankful to have had the support of the following donors since January 2014.

FAQS

Thank you for coming to our website to find out more about ONE. Below you’ll find some frequently asked questions about the organization, which we hope you will find of interest.

What is ONE?

ONE is an international campaigning and advocacy organisation of more than 6 million people taking action to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.

We raise public awareness and work with political leaders to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, and demand greater transparency in poverty-fighting programs. ONE also works closely with African activists and policymakers as they fight corruption, promote poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, help build civil society, and spur economic development.

In recent years, ONE’s members, together with other non-profit partners, have played an important role in persuading governments to support effective programs and policies that are making a measurable difference in fighting extreme poverty and disease. These advocacy efforts have helped more than 7.5 million people living in Africa today have access to lifesaving AIDS medication, up from only 50,000 in 2002. Malaria has been cut by 75% in eight African countries since 2000, and 51 million more children across sub-Saharan Africa are now going to primary school.

(RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign, and partners with some of the world’s most iconic brands, such as Apple, HEAD, Coca-Cola and Starbucks, who contribute up to 50% of profits from (RED)-branded goods and services to The Global Fund.

ONE works through advocacy and campaigning and does not raise funds directly for schools, hospitals and the like, but rather advocates for government programs that make life better for millions of the world’s poorest people. ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not solicit funding from the public or receive government funding. Our work is strictly politically non-partisan.

Who are ONE members?

ONE is a global grassroots movement of more than 6 million people from every walk of life and from across the political spectrum. They’re artists and activists, faith and business leaders, students and scientists, all coming together because something can and should be done about extreme poverty and injustice.

ONE’s tagline has always been: “We’re not asking for your money, we’re asking for your voice.” ONE members support our work by using their voices – and their political clout – to persuade their government representatives to support effective programs that spur development and are making a real, measurable difference in the fight against extreme poverty and disease.

Where is ONE located and how big is your budget?

As of January 2014, ONE had 143 staff members situated in offices in Washington, D.C. (our headquarters), New York (where (RED) is based), London, Johannesburg, Brussels, Berlin and Paris. Our projected budget for 2014 is $35.3 million.

How is ONE governed?

ONE is governed by a 19-member Board of Directors made up of individuals with extensive experience in advocacy and activism, policy, politics and business. The Board oversees ONE’s work and helps to ensure ONE is making progress against its mission. The full Board meets biannually while the Board’s committees meet more regularly, and as needed. The committees include: Program, Executive and Finance, Development, Nominating and Membership, Audit and (RED). ONE’s leadership team, under the direction of CEO Michael Elliott, guides and implements ONE’s strategy.

What is ONE’s Africa Policy Advisory Board?

ONE’s 27-member Africa Policy Advisory Board (APAB), including leading thinkers from a diverse cross-section of civil society, academia, the private sector and media, provides strategic counsel and advice to ONE’s leadership on the latest trends and issues affecting Africa. ONE regularly relies on this advice to inform and adapt its campaigns and policies not only in Africa, but across the global organization.

How is ONE legally structured?

ONE is made up of two legally distinct tax-exempt organizations that have been incorporated in the District of Columbia under US law: The ONE Campaign, which is recognized as a public charity under Section 501(c) 3 of the Internal Revenue Code and which educates the public and raises awareness about extreme poverty around the globe and the progress being made against it through life-saving programs; and ONE Action, which is recognized under Section 501(c) 4 of Internal Revenue Code and which presses lawmakers to support smart, effective policies and programs which are saving lives and helping those living in the world’s poorest countries lift themselves out of poverty.

(RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign, which is recognized under Section 501(c) 3.

How is ONE funded?

ONE is funded by a combination of foundations, individual philanthropists and corporations dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease. We do not solicit funds from the general public or receive government funding.

Can I donate to ONE?

ONE does not solicit funding from the general public or receive government funding. If you want to make a financial contribution to help fight extreme poverty and preventable disease, we encourage you to consider one of our partner organizations, the vast majority of which are providing direct services on the ground in Africa and around the world.

If you are a foundation, individual philanthropist or corporation and are interested in opportunities to invest in our advocacy and campaigning work, please contact ONE’s Chief Development Officer Bob Pilon.

How do I apply for a grant from ONE?

ONE is not a grant-making organization and does not provide aid directly to individuals, governments or organizations. The single exception is our ONE Africa Award, which is given annually to an African civil society organization that demonstrates commitment and success in advocacy to promote the attainment of one or more of the Millennium Development Goals. The award is generously funded by ONE’s board member Howard G. Buffett.

As an advocacy and campaigning organization, ONE achieves change through education and advocacy, by raising awareness and pressing politicians to support effective programs, such as The Global Fund or the Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, that are making a measurable difference on the ground.

What does ONE do if it doesn’t give grants or work on the ground in Africa?

ONE achieves change through education and advocacy that results in increased government support for effective development policies and programs that are saving millions of lives in the world’s poorest countries. While a traditional charity might raise money from the public to directly build an AIDS clinic in Africa, ONE lobbies government leaders to fund effective government programs, such as PEPFAR and The Global Fund, that are themselves funding on-the-ground work. Governments are actually the biggest source of funding for many anti-poverty and global health programs, delivering tens of billions of dollars to efforts each year, but those funds are always at risk as government budgets tighten or priorities change. ONE and its members help to increase awareness of the impact of these programs and when they are at risk of being cut, we fight for their continued funding.

In recent years, ONE’s members, together with other non-profit partners, have played an important role in persuading governments to support effective programs and policies that are making a measurable difference in fighting extreme poverty and disease. These advocacy efforts have helped more than 9 million people living in Africa today have access to lifesaving AIDS medication, up from only 50,000 in 2002. Malaria has been cut by 75% in eight African countries since 2000, and 54 million more children across sub-Saharan Africa are now going to primary school.

In Africa, ONE works in close partnership with government and local leaders, entrepreneurs, and activists to support sustainable development and economic growth. We support efforts that demand greater democracy, accountability, and transparency because we believe good governance and an active civil society are essential to development.

What issues does ONE work on?

ONE works closely with African activists and policymakers as they invest in poverty-fighting priorities, monitor the use of aid, fight corruption, help build civil society and spur economic development. We campaign to combat AIDS and preventable diseases, increase investments in agriculture and nutrition, bring energy access, and demand greater transparency in the extraction of resources in developing countries and in poverty-fighting programs.

What is (RED)?

(RED) is a division of The ONE Campaign that partners with some of the world’s leading companies, such as Apple, HEAD, Coca Cola and Starbucks, to drive public awareness about and corporate donations to the fight against AIDS through The Global Fund. To date, (RED) has generated more than $300 million in corporate donations to The Global Fund, with 100% going directly to work on the ground with no overhead for operations taken out. By increasing awareness of The Global Fund and the AIDS emergency, (RED) helps ONE and other advocates ensure continued government support for effective programs such as the Fund. You can shop for (RED) branded merchandise at partner retail locations and online at red.org.

What is Bono’s involvement with ONE and (RED)?

Bono co-founded both ONE and (RED) with Bobby Shriver and serves on ONE’s Board of Directors. He plays an active role with both organizations as an advisor and advocate.

What was DATA and how does it relate to ONE?

DATA (Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa) was a global advocacy organization co-founded in 2002 by Bono, Bobby Shriver and activists Jamie Drummond and Lucy Matthew on the heels of their work in the Jubilee 2000 “Drop the Debt” coalition. Jubilee 2000 was a global alliance of church groups, international justice campaigners and debt policy specialists campaigning for the cancellation of the unpayable debts of the poorest countries to celebrate the year 2000.

DATA proposed the data deal as reflection of Goal 8 of the newly agreed Millennium Development Goals: campaign for debt relief, increased and improved aid especially to fight emergencies like AIDS, and trade reform for developing countries, in return for the leadership of these countries offering their citizens democracy, accountability and transparency. DATA also stood for hard-headed evidence and data-based policies.

In 2004, DATA and dozens of other NGOs helped to create ONE: The Campaign To Make Poverty History, an advocacy and campaigning organization dedicated to fighting extreme poverty and preventable disease. In the lead up to the Gleneagles G8 Summit in July 2005, Bono, Richard Curtis, DATA and others helped to organize the Live 8 concerts to put pressure on the G8 to endorse the findings of the Commission for Africa, which largely reflected the data deal approach and made a commitment to fighting extreme poverty in Africa.

In early 2008, DATA and ONE combined operations under the name ONE.

Where does ONE get its name from?

Contrary to popular belief, ONE is not named after the song of the same name by the band U2, of which ONE’s co-founder Bono is a member.

The name was inspired by the belief that one voice, coming together with many others – the political left and right, business leaders, activists, faith leaders and students – can change the world for the better. The name was also influenced by ONE’s first US campaign in 2004, which called on the US government to allocate an additional 1% of its budget towards the fight against extreme poverty.